Vegan Seafood? What the heck is that?! Well, beyond being an oxymoron, vegan seafood is popping up all over the place. For years you could find wheat gluten spiced with seaweed formed into a lump and titled “vegetarian fish” at many a restaurant. But a new company challenges the idea of vegetarian seafood, Sophie’s Kitchen. According to their website, they began their company due to seafood allergies that plagued they founder’s daughter, Sophie and the environmental impact of the seafood industry. Together they created an interesting new substitute for those who love seafood, but don’t partake: whether they be vegan, environmentally aware, or deathly allergic.

They offer an amazing range including vegan shrimp, prawns, fish cutlets, squid, and calamari. All the products are based with the Elephant Yam Root, which has been used in Asia for centuries. High in fiber the Elephant Yam Root, or Konjac, gives the “seafood” a low calorie count and plenty of flavor. So how do these products taste, you ask? We just had to find out for ourselves.

We honestly couldn’t decide which one to try, but finally decided on the Fried Calamari. The calamari is already breaded and just needs a pop in the oven or deep fryer! We promptly returned home and followed the instructions on the box. Between the two of us, one has been vegan for over a decade and never tried calamari, where the other is a vegan sophomore and at one point in time loved regular calamari. Needless to say, we both definitely enjoyed the vegan calamari. Surprisingly, it tasted pretty close to the real thing: chewy and a little fishy. Not sure if we would eat it all the time, but it would make a great appetizer on special occassions!

Needless to say it was a winner in our book! Although the concept is, well, nothing short of strange, the execution is great. Plus you can’t beat the price! A box will only run you about $3.99-%5.99 depending on the store. Since our foray into vegan calamari, we have also tried the Vegan Fish Filets while on recent camping trip. We have to say those were mind blowingly delectable! Not a fan of fish before going vegan, these were even better than the real thing. We shared our treats with omnivore family members and the concesus was the same: they thought it tasted real (although some agreed it was more like chicken than fish)!

We highly recommend you try these delicious, unique oxymorons! Honestly, we can’t wait to try the prawns and shrimp. They are available at Whole Foods and natural health food stores around the country. Dig in and let us know what you think!